October 2, 2004
Cell phone camera photos make arrest a snap for police
The Tennessean reports that a knife-wielding robber was caught yesterday after his victim — a limousine driver — used his cell phone's camera to snap photos of the man and his truck.
The camera photos helped police find, identify and arrest the man about 10 minutes later.
''A lot of us here hadn't thought about the potential of cell phone cameras until early this morning,'' Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said. ''It's the first time we can think of that a cell phone camera has been used in a violent crime such as this to provide officers on the scene with outstanding evidence.''
''It was good, quick thinking of me,'' said Miranda, a driver for The Limo Co. ''At first I thought of (having a camera phone) as a thing of leisure, but now I think of it as an important tool for the workplace.''
Aaron said police would encourage citizens to use cellular telephones in similar circumstances, and if citizens spot something that appears unusual. Cell phone cameras can increasingly aid police in crime-fighting, he added.
Related article: Camera phones as a new crime-solving tool.
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